Australian Football Association of North America

In early December West Coast running defender Brad Sheppard and Suns defender Jacob Townsend announced their retirements just a few days apart. Sheppard, 30, was forced to retire due to ongoing concussion issues. He suffered several head knocks late in the season, the last coming in round 22. The Eagles believed he could still play but gave him time to decide. He sought medical advice over concerns about his future health and opted to retire.

Sheppard was drafted in 2009 and played 216 games. He was named All-Australian in 2015 and won the best clubman award in 2020. He was also a key member of the 2018 premiership side. Coach Adam Simpson said, "His career speaks for itself, over 200 games, it's just really sad that it finishes this way. He still had plenty of good footy left. He retires as a man with universal respect at every level of the football club ... ".

The 2022 AFL schedule was announced in early December, exactly 100 days from the start of the regular season. While the venues had been set, the League has only confirmed the dates and times for the first nine rounds. The schedule for Round 10 through to Round 23 will be progressively revealed throughout the season with advance notice. The regular season kicks off on Wednesday, 16th March with the rematch of the 2021 Grand Final between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs at the MCG, where the Demons will unfurl their premiership flag.

(Updated 12/31/2021) After weeks of delay, the 2022 AFLW schedule was released in early December. The AFL had originally planned to start the sixth season of the women’s competition in December but decided to push it back to January 2022 to minimize the impact of interstate border restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as had occurred in the past two seasons. The 2022 season will kick off on Friday, January 7th with St Kilda hosting Richmond at SkyBus Stadium in Frankston, a bayside suburb around 25 mi southeast of Melbourne, while Brisbane Lions begin their premiership defense with the 2021 Grand Final rematch against the Crows at Noarlunga, 16 mi south of Adelaide on Sunday, January 9th. The schedule change was revealed on New Year's Eve, after the West Australian Government announced during the week it would close the state border to both Queensland and South Australia, due to recent surge in cases linked to Omicron variant of COVID-19 in both states.

The AFL Draft was held during our Thanksgiving holiday period. The Western Bulldogs kicked things off with a trade of draft selections to better their chances of snaring Sam Darcy, son of former champ Luke. They gave Geelong their first selection (number 23) to Geelong in exchange for the Cats' selections 32 and 34. GWS was interested in Darcy so the Dogs needed a strong draft hand to match the bid. During the trade period, several clubs tried to coax a deal with North Melbourne for the number one selection, but the Kangaroos turned down all offers. The Bulldogs and North also flipped picks for next year's draft. The Bulldogs were not the only club busy trading, with Port Adelaide moving up two spots by giving West Coast their selection 14 and a future round two pick. The Roos were also involved in a trade with Collingwood and received the Pies' second round pick of number 36, giving up a third round pick (No.38) and a future third round selection.

As in years past, it is club by club. The number in front is the draft selection followed by player name, (junior or club of origin), age, height, weight and position. The Rookie and Preseason drafts were held just after the national draft, so those selections are included here.

ADELAIDE

Just as the free agency period was ending, Carlton defender Liam Jones announced his shock retirement. It is apparently due to his anti-vaccination stance. The league mandated that all AFL and AFLW players get vaccinated or be placed on inactive lists until they comply. Jones, 30, retires after 161 games - 66 with the Bulldogs and 145 with the Blues - and said his decisions were for "personal reasons" but would not elaborate further. In a statement he said, “I want to take this opportunity to thank all who have supported me throughout my journey, both personally and professionally. I love the game and I’ll miss my teammates. I hope that people respect my decision and privacy - neither myself or [sic] my management team will be making any further comment on the matter. ”